Run Claude Code or Codex in the cloud on your own subscription: every option compared (2026)

You can run both in the cloud on your plan. Claude Code has cloud sessions and scheduled tasks on Pro and Max. Codex Cloud runs tasks on your ChatGPT sign-in. Beyond those you have three routes: your own server, partner apps OpenAI lists, or a hosted workspace that runs the CLI for you.

This page is about one question: which cloud options bill your existing Claude or ChatGPT plan, instead of API tokens? For the Claude-only walkthrough of each option, see the six ways to work with Claude Code in the cloud. Facts below were checked on 25 October 2026 against each vendor's own docs.

Which cloud options run on your Claude or ChatGPT plan?

Option	Agent	Bills	Keeps running with your laptop closed	Starts on a schedule
Claude Code cloud sessions	Claude Code	Claude plan	Yes	No (see scheduled tasks)
Claude Code cloud scheduled tasks	Claude Code	Claude plan, plus hourly run caps	Yes	Yes, or from an API call or GitHub event
Codex Cloud	Codex	ChatGPT plan (ChatGPT sign-in required)	Yes	No first-party schedule for Codex Cloud tasks yet
ChatGPT scheduled tasks	ChatGPT Work and Codex	ChatGPT plan	Web tasks yes; desktop project tasks need the computer on	Yes, or from Gmail, Slack or GitHub events
Your own server (claude -p, codex exec)	Either	Claude plan for claude -p; OpenAI recommends an API key for Codex automation	Yes	Yes, with cron
Sign in with ChatGPT partner apps	Their own agents	ChatGPT plan, if you allow it	Depends on the app	Depends on the app
Hosted workspace (Kavela)	Claude Code and Codex CLIs	Your Claude or Codex plan for the model, Kavela credits for agent minutes	Yes	Yes, in plain words

Sources: Claude Code scheduled tasks, Codex authentication, Codex Cloud, ChatGPT scheduled tasks, Sign in with ChatGPT, Kavela: connect your plan.

How do Claude Code's own cloud options bill your plan?

Anthropic runs two cloud options on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise:

• Cloud sessions run a Claude Code session on a machine Anthropic manages, against a GitHub repo. You start them from claude.ai/code or the Claude app.
• Cloud scheduled tasks (once called routines) are "a prompt, one or more repositories, and a set of connectors, packaged once and run automatically". They start from a schedule, an API call or a GitHub event (docs).

Scheduled tasks "draw down subscription usage the same way interactive sessions do". They also have their own hourly caps, for example 100 scheduled runs per hour per account, with no overage. The feature is in research preview.

Two limits matter for automation. The task runs on a fresh clone of your repo, so anything it needs must live in the repo, a connector or the environment. And the tasks belong to your individual account; they are not shared with teammates.

How does Codex Cloud use your ChatGPT plan?

Codex Cloud runs each task in its own cloud workspace, built from a published environment with your repositories and tools. Each task "can keep working while your computer is asleep". OpenAI's authentication docs say "Codex cloud requires signing in with ChatGPT", so cloud tasks always use your plan.

What Codex Cloud does not have yet is a first-party schedule. An open feature request filed on 22 October 2026, openai/codex #56123, asks for "first-class scheduling (cron/hourly) for Codex Cloud tasks launched from a published cloud environment". For the workarounds, see how to schedule Codex Cloud tasks.

ChatGPT's own scheduled tasks do run on a schedule. Web tasks use your connected tools and uploads but "can't work directly in a folder on your computer". Desktop project tasks need "the machine powered on and the ChatGPT desktop app running".

Can you run the CLI on your own server with your plan?

Yes, with different rules on each side.

• Claude Code: claude -p on a VPS or a CI runner, signed in to your plan. Anthropic's help article 15036540 says, as of 7 October 2026, that claude -p and third-party app usage "still draw from your subscription limits" (source).
• Codex: codex exec on a server signed in with your ChatGPT account is documented. OpenAI calls it "an advanced workflow for enterprise and other trusted private automation", and says "the right way to authenticate automation is with an API key" (source). With an API key, Codex bills API rates, not your plan.

The server route is the cheapest in dollars and the most expensive in your time. You own the machine, the cron, the restarts, the expired logins and the run nobody read. Our Claude Code VPS guide walks through that setup.

What do partner apps and hosted workspaces add?

Sign in with ChatGPT partners. OpenAI lists apps where Plus and Pro subscribers can choose to "use their ChatGPT plan for AI requests". On 25 October 2026 the list included Devin, Warp, Conductor, Amp Code, Notion and Vercel. Their usage "counts toward your existing plan limits" (source).

Hosted workspaces that run the CLI for you. Several services sign the Claude Code or Codex CLI in to your account on their machines. Replicas, for example, says on its own site that Claude Code there "can sign in with your own Claude subscription".

Kavela is one of these. It runs the CLI in a Kavela cloud computer after you sign in once for the workspace; the account's token "stays on Kavela's side and is never sent to your browser" (Kavela docs). On top of the agent, Kavela adds:

• a reviewer that checks every workflow run;
• approvals you answer from your phone;
• schedules set in plain words.

Before you pick any hosted option, read the rules for each side in what Anthropic and OpenAI say about using a subscription for automation. Anthropic's 7 October note covers third-party apps on a Claude plan. OpenAI has not published a position on a third-party service running the Codex CLI on your ChatGPT sign-in, and Kavela is not on its partner list, so treat that half as unconfirmed by OpenAI.

Which option should you pick?

1. One-off coding task on a GitHub repo, Claude: a Claude Code cloud session.
2. Recurring coding task on a repo, Claude: a Claude Code cloud scheduled task.
3. One-off coding task, Codex: Codex Cloud.
4. Recurring work across Gmail, Slack or GitHub, ChatGPT: ChatGPT scheduled tasks on the web.
5. Full control, private network, heavy builds: your own server, with an API key for Codex.
6. Recurring work across your tools, checked before it reaches you, on Claude or Codex: a hosted workspace such as Kavela.

What does it cost on top of your plan?

Option	Extra cost beyond your plan
Claude Code cloud sessions and scheduled tasks	None stated; usage counts against plan limits
Codex Cloud and ChatGPT scheduled tasks	None stated; usage counts against plan limits
Your own server	The server, and API rates if you use an API key
Partner apps	"The app may have its own fees" (OpenAI)
Kavela	A Kavela plan from $26 a month billed annually, after a 14-day free trial with no card; credits pay for agent minutes (pricing)

How do you start on Kavela?

Connect your Claude or Codex plan once, then paste this into Kav's chat box and fill in the angle brackets:

Every <day> at <time> <your timezone>, work in <GitHub repo> and <what to do, for example: triage new issues, label them and draft a fix for the top one>.
Run it with Claude Code on my connected Claude plan <or: with Codex on my connected Codex plan>.
A run is done when <what done looks like, for example: every new issue has a label and the top one has a draft pull request>.
Send me the result in approvals. Do not merge or post anything without my approval.
Connect GitHub when you need it.
Run it once now so I can check the first result, then set the routine.

You still sign in to GitHub and your plan, and you approve the first results. With those accounts ready, it takes about 10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free way to run Claude Code in the cloud on a schedule?

If you already pay for Pro or Max, Claude Code cloud scheduled tasks are included and count against your plan's usage. They work on GitHub repos and run in research preview.

Can Codex Cloud tasks run on a schedule?

Not as a first-party feature today. Feature request #56123 (22 October 2026) asks for it. ChatGPT scheduled tasks, cron with codex cloud exec, and hosted tools fill the gap; see how to schedule Codex Cloud tasks.

Does using my plan in a third-party tool break the terms?

On the Claude side, Anthropic's 7 October 2026 note says third-party app usage still draws from subscription limits. On the OpenAI side, plan usage is documented for listed Sign in with ChatGPT partners, and API keys for other automation.

Will automation use up my plan for interactive work?

Yes, it shares the same limits on both sides. Check Claude usage at claude.ai/settings/usage and ChatGPT usage under Settings, then Usage.

What happens on Kavela when my plan hits its limit?

The task waits and continues after the plan resets. It does not switch to paid credits on its own (Kavela docs).

Stuck on setup? Ask in the Kavela Discord.